Other Food Allergies

Labeling Question

I have read alot of the posts on topic of labeling and I am still trying to figure this all out. Now if a company lists may contain:for example milk, eggs and wheat, is it safe to assumw that those are the only may contain ingredients of the top 8 allergens?

I often feel the same way about 'may contain' statements as you, however, recently I have began to wonder whether a company would include a warning strictly based on which allergens THEY feel can be thoroughly removed from cleaning and sanitizing the production equipment.

In other words, if an ice cream company manufactured a flavor that contained soy and peanuts and after clean up still felt there was risk of peanut cross-contamination might they label 'made on shared equipment with peanut' but not mention soy because they feel they cleaned the lines well enough?

Or maybe they believe their cleaning process eliminates the risk of left over peanut allergens but the possibility still exists for trace amounts of soy, so they would label 'May contain traces of Soy' even though it's made with peanuts.

I may be over-thinking things, but due to variations and the lack of transparency in the U.S. when it comes to food manufacturing, consumers can't really be sure one way or the other.

I just replied to your other post about Hershey's and their labeling. Nothing personal, but I sure hope you are over-thinking it and that manufacturers aren't under the assumption that if they clean their production lines that they eliminate the risk of cross-contamination especially in regards to peanuts.

I, too, have very little faith in our food manufacturers, but I do rely heavily on the "may contain" statement especially after checking with the manufacturer and seeing that they use that statement if they think there is any risk of cross-contamination.

Your scenario is too much to consider right now. I'd have to clean out 3/4 of my pantry.

At least 2 of the major U.S. food manufacturers I have been in contact with, Kraft/Nabisco and Hershey's, have told me that they have strict policies in place, which include cleaning and sanitizing of equipment, to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. In the event they feel there is still a risk for cross-contamination after cleaning and sanitizing the line equipment they will use a warning statement such as 'May Contain Traces of Peanut.'

As food companies continue to diversify and acquire other brands, logistically, it's becoming less of a possibility that a particular food item is made its own dedicated line.

For example, as mentioned in a previous post, a supervisor at Hershey's explained that many nut allergy sufferers tend to feel most comfortable consuming the 1.5 oz. plain Hershey's chocolate bars since they are made they're own dedicated line. However, he went on to say that they were made in a facility that processed nuts but they were on seperate sides of the plant.

I was also told that the type of ventilation system used in each plant plays a role in whether or not they use a 'Manufactured in a Facility' warning statement.

Good Humor/Breyer's is another company that doesn't use a warning statement because they feel their cleaning, sanitizing, and allergen testing procedures are effective at essentially eliminating the risk of cross-contamination.